L.Opdyke French Aeroplanes Before the Great War (Schiffer)

Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing

Fouquet

Fouquet ordered a biplane built by de Pischoff et Koechlin in 1909, almost identical to the Lejeune, built by the same firm. It was an equal-span biplane, with a centrally-mounted engine driving 2 pusher propellers on Wright-style outriggers through chains and enormous sprocket wheels. It had tandem-wheel undercarriages, a biplane tail cell with a single rudder in the middle, ailerons set out ahead of the outer pair of interplane struts. The Fouquet was supported at the wingtips by curved skids, where the Lejeune had wheels; the Fouquet had a forward biplane elevator with side-curtains at the ends, and the Lejeune had 2 pairs of cells side by side with no vertical surfaces. The Fouquet used a 50 hp Antoinette, and the Lejeune used a 3-cylinder 12 hp Buchet. On 12 August Fouquet rolled 80 meters, hopped, the engine stopped abruptly and the machine came down hard on its undercarriage, which gave way: the aeroplane was destroyed. By October he had rebuilt and modified it twice, and made several hops with it.

Lejeune

A biplane said to be designed for Louis Lejeune was built by de Pischoff and Koechlin in 1909, almost identical to the Fouquet, built by the same firm. Both were equal-span biplanes, with a centrally-mounted engine driving 2 pusher propellers on Wright-style outriggers through chains and enormous sprocket wheels. Both had tandem-wheel undercarriages, biplane tail cells with a single rudder in the middle, ailerons set out ahead of the outer pair of interplane struts. The Fouquet was supported at the wingtips by curved skids, where the Lejeune had wheels; the Fouquet had a forward biplane elevator with side curtains at the ends, and the Lejeune had 2 pairs of cells side by aide with no vertical surfaces. The Lejeune also featured aileron cells. The Fouquet used a 50 hp Antoinette, and the Lejeune used a 3-cylinder 12 hp Buchet.

M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)

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WINDHAM biplane No.1

Although not of British construction, the Windham biplane, which was exhibited at the Aero Show at Olympia in March 1909, incorporated a number of his design requirements and was further modified during later trials. Despite a report in The Autocar that the machine was being built by Voisin Freres, it was actually made by de Pischoff and Koechlin, who, before delivery, guaranteed that it would fly 300-400 meters. The machine was tested, probably at Wembley Park, but there were no reports that it was a success and proposals to build further examples in Britain did not proceed. The two-seater biplane had parallel chord wings, spaced by four pairs of interplane struts, the front outboard struts carrying large pivoting, balanced 'ailerons' operated by sideways movement of the seat back. There was a fixed boxkite tail on booms tapering to a point in elevation, with a central rudder between. The front booms were shorter and carried a biplane elevator. The machine was supported on two pairs of wheels in tandem. The engine, mounted on the lower center section was cooled by a circular radiator in front of it, and drove twin pusher propellers by chains; the propeller shafts and their drives being contained by a structure of steel tubes. Later Windham made changes to improve the stability of the aircraft by lengthening the nose and tail booms. Also wheels were attached to the wing tips.

P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)

Windham Biplane

Captain W. G. Windham's pusher biplane is depicted at the 1909 Olympia Aero Show, and was constructed for him in France by Pischoff-Koechlin. The machine embodied a number of his own design features and was modified after the Aero Show by the lengthening of the nose and the tail booms to improve stability. The four-wheel undercarriage was augmented by the addition of a single wheel at each wing-tip, and a single rudder was fitted aft within the fixed biplane tail. Twin propellers were driven by a twin-cylinder 35 h.p. Dutheil-Chalmers engine; in further examples of the biplane, intended to be built in Britain, a four-cylinder engine was scheduled to be used.

Журнал Flight

Flight, January 9, 1909

THE FIRST PARIS AERONAUTICAL SALON.

"Lejune (No. 1)."

Biplane constructed by Messrs. Pischoff and Koechlin, of Billancourt, for M. Lejune. It is a feeble looking job in bamboo and unvarnished linen, but is designed a little after the lines of the Wright machine in general appearance, although the controlling planes are quite different. There are two double elevators in front, situate some way apart, and a simple vertical rudder behind enclosed in a boxkite tail a la Voisin. The whole apparatus only weighs 150 kilogs., and is equipped with but a 12-h.p. 3-cyl. Buchet engine. The Wright system of chain transmission with twin propellers is used.

Flight, March 27, 1909

FLYERS AT OLYMPIA.

Pischoff (CAPT. WINDHAM).

Capt. Windham, who has entered the commercial side of aviation, shows a biplane, which was constructed for him by Messrs. Pischoff, in France, embodying ideas of his own. Capt. Windham has now arranged to build similar machines in England for sale to the public at the price of L650 complete. One of the most characteristic features of the machine is that derived from the appearance of the outrigger framework which carries the biplane elevator in front and the rigid biplane tail behind. The first impression is that this framework is one complete elliptical unit, but closer inspection shows the lack of continuity in the upper girder members which stop short under the main planes. The machine is mainly constructed of wood, but has a certain amount of tubular steel work in connection with the chassis and the brackets for the support of the two chain-driven propellers which are situated immediately behind the main planes, and therefore a little aft of the centre of the machine as a whole. The planes themselves are double surfaced, but the appearance of the end webs does not give evidence of any close attention to special curvature. The decks are separated by vertical wood struts, with the usual system of diagonal wiring. The struts are bolted to strip iron angle plates, which in turn are either bolted or screwed to the main spars, but although this detail in the construction is evidently not intended to be flexible, the rough fitting certainly belies rigidity; in fact, there is a distinct lack of refined workmanship in many parts of the machine. An original feature of the control is pivoting the back of the pilot's seat so that by swaying his body he can operate the movements of a pair of small righting planes which are pivoted midway between the main planes at each extremity. The elevator and rudder, the latter being in the middle of the tail, are controlled by a single lever operated by the driver's right hand. The engine with which the machine is at present equipped is a 2-cyl. Dutheil-Chalmers, but the machines which Captain Windham will construct in this country will have 4-cyl. engines of the same make.

AERO SHOW AT OLYMPIA. - Captain Windham's Pischoff flyer seen from in front. One of the righting planes, which are mounted midway up the outside stays, is clearly visible. The rudder, which should be between the planes of the rear tail, is not shown.

The Pischoff biplane is a tailed machine, and as such therefore belongs to the Voisin type, but it differs from the typical Voisin flyer both in appearance and construction. Its tail is not quite as far to the rear, and has a different normal level.